sell out
Britishverb
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Also (chiefly Brit): sell up. to dispose of (supplies of something) completely by selling
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informal (tr) to betray, esp through a secret agreement
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informal (intr) to abandon one's principles, standards, etc
noun
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informal a performance for which all tickets are sold
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a commercial success
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informal a betrayal
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informal a person who betrays their principles, standards, friends, etc
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Dispose of entirely by selling. For example, The rancher finally sold out to the oil company , or The tickets to the concert were sold out a month ago . [Late 1700s]
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Betray one's cause or colleagues, as in He sold out to the other side . [ Slang ; late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He publishes with a small press to little notice, yet word of mouth helps the book sell out its first edition.
He chronicles how Coppola pressured Lucas to accept changes to his first feature, “THX 1138,” so the studio would release it while Lucas viewed that as Coppola pushing him to sell out.
From Los Angeles Times
For Dalio, geopolitical trends indicate “a clash of great powers” is looming and in the scenario he imagines, investors should “sell out of all debt and buy gold.”
From MarketWatch
With one simple social media tag of a business, Luxe's influence could make products sell out.
From BBC
The matches at Cardiff's 74,000 Principality Stadium usually sell out or reach high capacity for a tournament that has traditionally been a highlight of the Welsh sporting calendar.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.